This invention relates to an installing structure of a wire harness on a link, in which the power supply wire harness is installed along the link, and the wire harness is bent in accordance with a pivotal movement of the link.
FIG. 22 shows one form of movable structural body storage structure employing a conventional link mechanism (see Patent Literature 1).
This movable structural body storage structure comprises a pair of front and rear pivotal links 52 and 53 pivotally connected to a vehicle body 51, an intermediate upper fixing link 55 connected to the front pivotal link 52, a front upper fixing link 54 connected to the rear pivotal link 53, a soft-top roof 56 fixed to the front upper fixing link 54.
In a completely-closed condition (not shown) of the roof 56, the front upper fixing link 54 and the intermediate upper fixing link 55 are arranged on a horizontal straight line, and the pair of front and rear pivotal links 52 and 53 are positioned generally upright. The pivotal links 52 and 53 are pivotally moved rearwardly from this condition (FIG. 22 shows a half-open condition of the roof), so that the fixing links 54 and 55 are superposed in a vertically-stepped manner, and in a stored condition (the open condition not shown) of the roof 56, the pivotal links 52 and 53 are positioned generally horizontally, and the fixing links 54 and 55 are disposed on the upper side of the pivotal links 52 and 53 in a folded manner.
Although a drive unit for the above link mechanism is not described, a structure (not shown) in which a link is driven by a motor and a pinion is described, for example, in Patent Literature 2.
Also, a structure for storing not the roof 56 but a rear window (rear glass panel) 57 of a roof 56′ in a luggage space at a rear portion of a vehicle body has been developed as shown in FIG. 23. In this case, the rear window 57 can be stored separately from the roof 56′, and then the roof 56′ can be stored by the link mechanism of FIG. 22.
In FIG. 23, the rear window 57 is connected to one pivotal link 58, and the pivotal link 58 is pivotally connected to a link bracket 59 by a shaft portion 60, and the link bracket 59 is fixed to the vehicle body. In FIG. 23, a solid line shows an attached condition of the rear window 57, and a dots-and-dash line shows a stored condition of the rear window 57.
Furthermore, a structure for opening not a roof or a rear window of an automobile but a side door by a link mechanism is described, for example, in Patent Literature 3. In this structure (not shown), the door is swingably connected to the vehicle body by a bendable link arm, and also a pair of front and rear horizontal parallel links are provided between the door and the vehicle body.
A wire harness is installed on and fixed to one link, and one side portion of the wire harness is installed along a bendable caterpillar-like exterior member on the door, while the other side portion of the wire harness is installed on the vehicle body (power source-side). Electric power is always or continuously supplied to auxiliary equipments on the door via the wire harness.                [Patent Literature 1] JP-A-2000-108674 Publication (FIGS. 1 to 5)        [Patent Literature 2] JP-A-2003-252061 Publication (FIG. 1)        [Patent Literature 3] JP-A-10-175483 Publication (FIGS. 5 and 9)        
In the movable structural body storage structure as shown in FIG. 23, it is necessary to supply electric power to defogging-purpose heating wires (auxiliary equipment) on the rear window, and therefore a study has been made of installing the wire harness along the link. In this case, it has been earnestly desired that the wire harness be smoothly bent in accordance with the pivotal movement of the link without undergoing folding and an excessive concentration of stresses in the vicinity of the shaft portion.
The above problem should be solved not only for the rear window but also for other movable structural bodies (such as a roof and a door) connected to a mating member such as a vehicle body (fixed structural body) by a link.